"Enthusiasm is a state of mind that inspires and arouses one to put action into the task at hand...it is the vital moving force that impels action."
Law of Success; Napoleon Hill; 2003
"Enthusiasm: intense and eager enjoyment, interest, or approval... supposedly resulting directly from divine inspiration."
New Oxford American Dictionary
If the year of the yang earth dog has started to get away from you as it has for me, you may be in the midst of re-grouping. The year of the dog is about ACTION. However, during this lucky year for all Chinese zodiac signs, taking massive action can also lead to feelings of frustration and exhaustion. This can set you on the course of planning and procrastination. The action of starting and stopping sends mixed messages to every force in the universe you have awoken once you send out your clear intention. These forces are ready to come to your assistance, but the very conscious or unconscious action of stopping in fits of frustration or tiredness becomes detrimental to achieving your goals.
So if you had to ask yourself what would be the first step you needed in order to re-motivate yourself back into your groove, what would it be?
So if you had to ask yourself what would be the first step you needed in order to re-motivate yourself back into your groove, what would it be?
Often times life's unexpected twists and turns create a negative hold on our thinking patterns, planning, determination & even our persistence. A gradual, yet steady change in some of our best characteristics begin to set camp in our psyche creating undesirable traits. And if left unattended, over time your energetic self, transforms into a new self that is unrecognizable. Confronting hardships during the pursuit of a new venture or goal, creates a clear pathway for your initial enthusiasm to dwindle, easily turning highly-charged energetic might into negative, low-energy forces such as frustration, lethargy, envy and even anger.
"Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a dream/desire fulfilled is the tree of life."
Proverbs 13:12
As enthusiastic as one may seem prior to embarking down any unchartered path, it is also important to prepare and create rituals that will protect your enthusiasm as you venture forward. Yes, it is vital to set forth with a positive attitude, but it is also just as crucial to have remedies readily available when you find your enthusiasm diminishing as obstacles or challenges arise. Keeping our minds set on smooth sailing makes for a better-remembered journey, however, growing pains do appear and the lessons deepest learned are the ones we face head-on with vitality and a full spirit to overcome.
Take a moment right now, it does not matter where you are or what you are doing. Just take this very second and visualize yourself five years down the road. Do you immediately see yourself in the accomplished light you hope to achieve? Or are you a bit stuck and unable to clearly see what you would be doing or where you would be? There is no right or wrong answer to this question as both are very telling as to what is going on with you right now.
Take a moment right now, it does not matter where you are or what you are doing. Just take this very second and visualize yourself five years down the road. Do you immediately see yourself in the accomplished light you hope to achieve? Or are you a bit stuck and unable to clearly see what you would be doing or where you would be? There is no right or wrong answer to this question as both are very telling as to what is going on with you right now.
If you clearly saw your future, chances are you are on the path of working towards it or have already made significant strides in planning, meditating and pursuing the first step towards your desire. If you had to take several moments to get a clear visual down the road of your life or perhaps no picture came to mind at all, do not be afraid, embrace it. This is your spiritual guide or the universe revealing to you that you are not on course. Somewhere along the line, you stalled. This is important to recognize because if life is pushing you in multiple directions and you are being sidetracked at every turn, again, this is your spiritual guide letting you know that you have yet to define the future you long to create. Allow this simple exercise to help you regroup and reexamine what action or step needs to be taken to catapult you to what you truly desire.
This word desire is a powerful element in your inner life, especially if it is a deep desire that you have carried with you for many years. However, desire is not enough without direction, commitment and determination.
Before embarking once again on your path, this time be clear that this is something that you truly need to accomplish for your own spiritual well being. Its sort of like if you dreamed of being a prima ballerina or an all-star baseball player but never took any classes, never went on auditions, never joined a league, never rehearsed or practiced, how deep was that desire?
Your next five years start right now.
This word desire is a powerful element in your inner life, especially if it is a deep desire that you have carried with you for many years. However, desire is not enough without direction, commitment and determination.
Before embarking once again on your path, this time be clear that this is something that you truly need to accomplish for your own spiritual well being. Its sort of like if you dreamed of being a prima ballerina or an all-star baseball player but never took any classes, never went on auditions, never joined a league, never rehearsed or practiced, how deep was that desire?
Your next five years start right now.
"Make the now the primary focus of your life."
The Power of Now; Eckhart Tolle; 1997
Engaging in helpful feng shui remedies like wearing the best harmonizing earthy tones for the year of the earth dog, such as beige, yellow and brown as well as green and blue can give your earth spirit a boost. However, combining these remedies with a clear path as to where you are headed coupled with a vivid intention, only awakens the positive energies surrounding you needed for manifestation.
"...your comeback is not your go back..."
Tim Storey
I would like to close this post with an experience that I had several months ago, in the wee hours of the morning where sleep continued to escape me. I turned on the tv and luckily, they were running the last season of Frasier, which I had completely missed. I was not going to get any sleep anyway, so might as well catch up.
Befitting to the universe to get my attention regardless of the format it selects, the last episode of the hit tv sitcom completed the storyline for each character of the show. When relating that episode to life in general, it is in those precise endings to certain events in our lives that generally create the catalyst for the new beginnings we need to experience to get us to our next stage. New life chapters begin with a clean slate and unwritten words that only you can pen.
Befitting to the universe to get my attention regardless of the format it selects, the last episode of the hit tv sitcom completed the storyline for each character of the show. When relating that episode to life in general, it is in those precise endings to certain events in our lives that generally create the catalyst for the new beginnings we need to experience to get us to our next stage. New life chapters begin with a clean slate and unwritten words that only you can pen.
As complex as we are as human beings, often times when facing the door that leads to the long-awaited new beginning, fear and trepidation of the unknown take up shop in the recesses of our minds. So, I allowed my heart to convince myself that the last episode of Frasier was just that -- the last show.
Nevertheless, the universe wanted to send a direct message to me. A few words spoken by Frasier's character nudged me enough to pay attention to what I have been delaying for quite some time, praying that it would not turn into my greatest regret or a chance never taken.
Again, I attempted to shrug it off, only the universe was not accepting. Rest assured, when the universe wants to get a message to you, it will find the right means at the time to get it directly to you.
"It may be that the gulfs will wash us down, It may be we shall touch the Happy Isles, and though We are not now that strength which in old days Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield." Tennyson
"...And I think what it says is that, while it's tempting to play it safe, the more we're willing to risk, the more alive we are. In the end, what we regret most are the chances we never took..."
Frasier; Season 11, Episode 24; Christopher Lloyd and Joe Keenan
http://www.kacl780.net/frasier/transcripts/season_11/episode_24/goodnight_seattle_2.html
So retaining your enthusiasm for your dreams is a job that only you occupy. Select activities, reading material or leisure hobbies that will immediately lift your spirits as you embark on becoming your own self-cheerleader. Think of rewards that have special meaning for every milestone you reach towards your goal. Visualize what it is going to FEEL like when you manifest this goal and what your next dream in action may be. Always remember, as you complete one dream another is born. Life is about growth and when you play it safe when certain chapters of your life are necessary to close, stagnation creeps in often in many unwanted forms, such as unexpected problems that were never supposed to be experienced by you.
Listen to your life right now. Look around at what is happening. If all things are well, then you are on the right path and may be ready to embark on your next direction. However if what you "hear" from your life feels wrong, then your life is speaking to you. The only way your higher being communicates with you are through the very experiences you are going through right now. There are tangible differences between an experience that may be uncomfortable but necessary for your personal growth as opposed to unnecessary challenges that come at you from every direction as life just sways you to and fro for you not charting your course. If something has robbed you of your spirit due to failed attempts on many paths in your life, those setbacks were NOT failures. It was just the winds of the universe letting you know that those steps were not meant for you. A temporary experience that came for a fleeting visit just to let you know that if you see this road again, turn to the other direction.
Isn't life about the chances we dared to take? Think about those roads that were less traveled during your life but you ventured anyway that now tell the best stories. With complacency comes lack of growth and with every passing day, lack of growth depletes your inner spirit. Your higher guardian is still there, it is just having a harder time getting thru to you. Take great care in renewing your energy. Even if you are not in the present circumstances that allow you to pursue what you truly want, you can take a chance to re-kindle that burning desire to want to achieve again. That flame will become stronger with every passing day you choose to think and visualize your goal.
"...enthusiasm will show its head again sprouting creativity mixed with new ideas for you to ponder and before you know it something will show up that will begin to remove any obstacles or circumstances that are blocking you from the very thing you have always wanted for your life. If you believe in yourself and have deep faith in the true possibility of your chief aim coming to its full manifestation, the universe will set up the building blocks of your pathway to pave your new road..."
Napoleon Hill
Every day is another chance to choose wisely again, to take another chance to dream again, take another chance to plan and think again, to take another chance to do just that, to take another chance.
So as you continue throughout the year of the earth dog, take great action to go on your quest to meet your enthusiasm once again, being vigilant to recognize special tugs along the way. The one thing in life that is constant and guaranteed is change. When you become reluctant to it, the downward spiral begins as you lose crucial elements of your spirit, including your motivation, perseverance, and determination. To see the fruits of this dream in action until it completely manifests into what your glory was meant to be in this life requires unbridled self-commitment and courage.
Become the observer of your mind and stop its tracks if it attempts to wallow in self-pity when things appear as if all is not right. Make it your mission to shift your mind now to the present moment to finish one of the tasks that will lead you one step closer to your ultimate goal. Work in the present moment, a zen-like state calling forth your very best to accomplish that crucial first step. Remember a whole lot of "nows" will eventually turn into your future.
Become the observer of your mind and stop its tracks if it attempts to wallow in self-pity when things appear as if all is not right. Make it your mission to shift your mind now to the present moment to finish one of the tasks that will lead you one step closer to your ultimate goal. Work in the present moment, a zen-like state calling forth your very best to accomplish that crucial first step. Remember a whole lot of "nows" will eventually turn into your future.
"The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step."
Lao Tzu
